government and its functions

Government and its functions

1. Types of governance 2. Structure & functions of different government systems

3. Election process in India

Learning Outcomes: Students will come to know:

- The different types of governance - The various structures of different government systems

- How different government systems functions - The election process in India

LOI 1: Types of governance

LE 1 What is a Government? Materials required

Paper and Pencil

Learning Experience (Blue Box)

Through guided inquiry students will define a government and learn that government is needed to create laws, protect people and provide services. They will write the responsibilities of a government and share them with the class.

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Step 1

Step by Step instructions

1. Does your school have rules that all of you must follow? 2. Imagine if there were no rules to be followed. How would your school be? 3. It would be chaotic! Who do you think sets the rules and makes sure all of

you follow the rules? 4. Your school management team will set them and make sure all of you

follow the rules. 5. The school management team is also responsible for looking after your

needs and to ensure your safety in the school. 6. All organizations like schools, offices, banks have rules and responsibilities

to ensure smooth functioning. 7. What about our state/country? Who makes sure rules are set and ensure that

all affairs are looked after to? 8. It’s the government. A government is a group of people with power to look

after the affairs of a country or state. 9. What are some of the responsibilities of a government? Write any 5 that

you can think of and discuss them with your class.

Presentation Share the responsibilities of a government you wrote with the class.

Inquiry Each presentation will be followed by an inquiry session in which the roles and responsibilities of a government will be discussed.

Journal 1. _________ are a set of guidelines that has to be followed by everyone in an organization to ensure a smooth functioning.

2. What is a government? 3. Read each statement and write Agree/Disagree beside each.

a) Government is needed to create laws, protect people and provide services.

b) People are always fighting with one another in the absence of a government.

4. Write any 5 responsibilities of a government. Inquiry 1. Why do we need rules?

2. Why does the government need to make rules? 3. What are the responsibilities of a government? 4.

Web Links/Additional Resources

N. A

LE 2 The Tired King! Materials required

Paper and Pencil


Students will read a story – The Tired King and learn about the different forms of governance – Monarchy, Dictatorship and Democracy. They will work in groups to research and find out countries following different forms of government and data related to it.

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Step 7 Step 8

Step 12 Step by Step instructions

1. You now know what a government is and why we need a government? 2. Today, let’s learn about the different types of government. 3. Let’s start with a story. Your teacher will now give handouts of a story

called The Tired King. Read the story. 4. In the story, the kingdom was ruled by a king – King Louie. He made

sure that his people and their problems were looked after. 5. All the power is in the hands of one person – the King. Such a form of

governance is called Monarchy. 6. In a monarchy, the power is hereditary. The title and power is passed

to the king’s son/daughter. 7. A good example for monarchy is Saudi Arabia which is led by a king.

The king appoints a Council of Ministers to help but there are no elections.

8. Have you heard of Adolf Hitler? He was a dictator the man responsible for the deaths of several thousands of Jews and starting the 2nd world war.

9. In a Dictatorship form of a government, the entire government is under the control of one person like a monarch.

10. But, instead of inheriting power, a dictator takes power by force. Most dictators were members of military or police.

11. The third type of government is Democracy. It is a system in which people decide matters as a group. Citizens exercise their power through voting to choose their leaders. The elected leaders propose, develop, and create laws for the citizens to abide by.

12. A good example for democracy is India. In India, people vote in the elections to choose a leader.

13. Your teacher will now divide you into groups. Each group will be assigned one form of government. a) Group 1 – Monarchy b) Group 2 – Dictatorship c) Group 3 – Democracy

14. Each group must research at home to find out the following: a) The names of any 4 countries that follow the form of government

assigned to your group. b) Picture of the country’s flag. c) Name of the country head d) Picture of the country head

15. You can either make a slideshow presentation or a chart to present the data.

Presentation Share your presentation/chart with the class.

Inquiry Each group presentation will be followed by a reinforcement session on the various forms of government.

Journal 1. Name the different forms of government. 2. In a monarchy, the king takes power by force. True/False? 3. Look at the clues and fill which type of government beside it.

a) The entire government is under the control of one person who

takes the power by force - _____________

b) Citizens hold the power - ______________

c) The country head is a king/queen - ______________

4. Which form of government according to you works best? Why?

Inquiry 1. What are the different forms of government?

2. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each government type? 3. In the past, which type of government did India have?


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<Form of Government> <Brief description of the form of the government>

<Country 1> <Country 2> <Country 3> <Country 4> <Picture of the flag>

<Picture of the flag>



< Name of the country head>

<Name of the country

head>

<Name of the country head>

<Name of the country

head> < Picture of the country head>

< Picture of the country head>



LOI 2: Structure & functions of different government systems

LE 1 The Tired King Saga Continues! Materials required

Paper and Pencil


Students will learn about the 3 branches in a government system - The Legislature, The Executive and The Judiciary. They will read the letters in the story of The Tired King and decide which branch must handle the problem in the letters.

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1. You saw how the tired king created 3 departments to address people’s problems and decided to take a nap.

2. Similarly, a government system has 3 departments – The Legislative branch, The Executive branch and The Judicial branch.

3. Department 1 was called the Lawmakers in the story. In an actual government system, this is called the Legislative branch.

4. The Legislative branch is the law-making branch of government. They will make new laws to keep the country running smoothly.

5. Department 2 was called the King’s Guards in the story. In an actual government system, this is called the Executive branch.

6. The Executive branch makes sure that all people follow the law. They will catch people who break the law.

7. Department 3 was called the Judges in the story. In an actual government system, this is called the Judicial branch.

8. The Judicial branch will decide what the laws mean. They will hold trials to decide if someone is guilty of breaking the law.

9. Your teacher will now dive you into groups and give you letters

received by King Louie. 10. Read the letters, decide and write which branch should handle the

problem beside each letter.

Presentation Share your decision on King Louie’s letters with the class.

Inquiry Each group presentation will be followed by a discussion on the duties of different branches in a government.

Government

TheLegislature(lawmakers)

TheExecu:ve(lawenforcers)

TheJudiciary(lawinterpretors)

Journal 1. Which are the three branches of a government? 2. Map the different departments King Louie created with the three

branches of the government. Department 1 (Lawmakers)

Department 2 (King’s Guards)

Department 3 (Judges)

3. Look at the different jobs below. Can you write to which branch they

belong: a) Traffic policemen b) Advocate c) A local MLA

4. Which branch according to you has more work to perform?

Inquiry 1. What are the different branches in a government? 2. What are the main functions of the Legislative branch? 3. What are the main functions of the Executive branch? 4. What are the main function of the Judicial branch?


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LE 2 Our Government Materials required

Paper and Pencil


Students will learn about the structure of the three branches – the Legislature, the Executive and the Judiciary and create a concept map to depict the structure of the government.

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Step 3 Step 11


1. You now know about the 3 branches of the government. 2. Let’s take a closer look at each branch. 3. Do you know where the Parliament of India is in? 4. It is in New Delhi. 5. The Indian government’s legislative branch is the Parliament. 6. Our Parliament comprises of the President and the two Houses—Lok

Sabha (House of the People) and Rajya Sabha (Council of States). 7. Any member of the Parliament can propose and present a draft law for

discussion. At this stage it is called a bill. 8. The bill has to be passed and accepted by both the Houses before it is

sent to the President. After the President signs the bill, it becomes a law. 9. Let’s recap what we just learnt. Watch the video -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79gMC4LXhIY (00:00 to 00:21 and 0:37 to 00:45).

10. The Executive branch consists of the President, Vice-President, the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers.

11. The Judicial branch is the Supreme Court of India. The Supreme Court of India consists of a Chief Justice and 25 associate justices.

12. The President of India is the Head of the State and Supreme Commander of the armed forces.

13. Create a concept map to depict the structure of the government and the three branches.

14. A concept map is a tool you can use to organize and structure information. A sample structure for your concept map is given below.

15. Research and collect pictures of the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, The President, the Vice-President, the Prime Minister and the Chief Justice of India and stick them in the concept map.

16. Find out the names of the President, the Vice-President, the Prime Minister and the Chief Justice of India and when they assumed the office.

Government

TheLegislature(lawmakers)

TheExecu:ve(lawenforcers)

TheJudiciary(lawinterpretors)

Presentation Share your concept map with the class.

Inquiry Each presentation will be followed by a reinforcement session on structure and functions of the various branches in the government.

Journal 1. _________________ is the Head of the State and Supreme Commander of the armed forces.

2. Choose the correct answer: a) A bill becomes a law only after both the houses agree. b) A bill becomes a law only if the Lok Sabha agrees. c) A bill becomes a law only if the President signs the bill. d) Both a) and c)

3. Who holds the following titles in our country? a) The President b) The Vice-President c) The Prime Minister d) The Chief Justice of Supreme Court

Inquiry 1. What constitutes the Legislative branch in India? 2. How does a bill become a law in the Parliament? 3. What constitutes the Executive branch in India? 4. What constitutes the Judicial branch in India?


N. A

LOI 3: Election process in India

LE 1 Let’s Vote! Materials required

Paper and Pencil


Students will watch a video to learn about the election process in India and work in groups to create posters urging to vote in the elections.

Images

Step 3

(All 3images in Step 8)


1. You now know about the structure and functions of our government. 2. But, how is a government formed? 3. The government is formed through elections. 4. Let’s watch a video -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDd5eHRR1gg to see the election process in India.

5. What was the message shown at the end of the video? 6. Do Vote! It’s very important for all adults aged 18 and above to enroll

themselves in the voter’s list and vote in the State and Lok Sabha elections.

7. True democracy is meaningful only when people participate actively in the elections.

8. Your teacher will now divide you into groups. Each group has to create a poster urging people to vote.

9. Remember the following when designing the poster: a) The poster must have a clear message. b) The poster must have an image/icon/symbol c) Use colors to make your poster visually attractive.

Presentation Share your posters with the class.

Inquiry

Journal 1. In India, the government is formed through ___________. 2. Choose the correct answer.

a) Any Indian citizen aged 18 and above is eligible to vote. b) Senior citizens aged 65 and above are not allowed to vote. c) Physically disabled persons aged 18 and above are not allowed to

vote. d) Women are not allowed to vote.

3. Are all adults in your home enrolled in the voter’s list? If not, find out why?

Inquiry 1. How can citizens participate in a democracy? 2. Why is it important for all adults to vote in the elections?


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LE 2 Election Fever Materials required

Paper and Pencil


Students will understand how democracy works by participating in a class election to elect a class monitor.

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1. You have learnt the functioning of democracy. 2. Today, let’s conduct an election in your class to elect a class monitor. 3. Now, your teacher will divide the class into 2 groups.

a) One half will be the “Orange Party”

b) The other half will be the “Purple Party”

4. Each group has to do the following:

a) Create a slogan for your party. b) Choose 2 candidates to represent your party in the elections. c) Fill up the Press release form given below.

d) Design a campaign t-shirt

5. After each group has completed the above, your teacher will place a ballot

box on the table. 6. Each of you have to put a tick against the candidate you want to vote for

and drop your verdict in the ballot box.

7. Your teacher will count the votes and announce the class monitor!

Presentation Share the slogan, press release form and the t-shirt you designed for your party.

Inquiry Each group presentation will be followed by a discussion of steps followed in a national election.

Journal 1. Which party were you a part of? 2. Which party won the elections? 3. Who was elected as the class monitor? 4. Why did the other part lose?

Inquiry 1. What are some of the steps every political party takes before the run up to the elections?

2. What does the values of a party tell you? 3. What are the key roles played by the media and party workers in an

election? Web Links/Additional Resources

N. A

Summative Assessment Student groups will create and write their own class magazine. • Each group will include all the different forms of writing they have learnt: story, poem, report,

letter etc. in the class magazine. • The theme for the class magazine is New Year. • Each student group can assign roles to their group members: writers, editors, illustrators etc. • The class magazine must feature the following sections: A letter from the editor, a story, a poem,

a report on how the class enjoyed the unit. • Each group has to give a name to their class magazine. • The students can refer to the school magazine for layout ideas. • The teacher will evaluate and select the best letter, best poem, best story etc. to be showcased in

the final class magazine.

government and its functions

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